It was supposed to be the Detroit Lions appearing in Super Bowl 59.

What the heck happened to the dream season that should have seen Dan Campbell’s squad appear in front of a worldwide audience?

Going all the way back to rookie minicamp and OTAs, it truly appeared that general manager Brad Holmes carefully constructed a roster that could win plenty of games in the regular season and make a deep playoff push.

But, as the injuries piled up and warts started to appear, there were several reasons why the Lions are sitting at home on Super Bowl Sunday instead of competing for a Lombardi Trophy.

Here are my thoughts on why the Lions are not playing in Super Bowl 59:

Not bold enough at the NFL trade deadline

It’s true. The injuries along the defense were piling up. What made it challenging for the front office to take a big swing at the deadline was the team was still competing and winning games.

Without Aidan Hutchinson, the team rallied and was able to rattle off wins, despite losing a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

At the deadline, it was clear the team needed to add a pass-rusher. While Za’Darius Smith provided a spark, it was simply not enough to add an aging veteran and several players from other teams’ practice squads.

Against the Commanders, rookie Jayden Daniels was able to neutralize Detroit’s pass-rush efforts by getting rid of the football quickly and using his feet to move the pocket.

Detroit may have benefitted from additional depth in the secondary or even on offense.

Holmes and the front office will regret not being bolder at the deadline.

Injuries

Never in the history of the Lions have so many players been placed on the injured reserve list.

The defensive side of the football was ravaged by injuries, including serious ailments to Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Der